Amy and Blake were still in the programming room after long hours. They had been so engrossed in what they were doing that they practically lost track of time.
Blake turned to look at Amy as she worked so intensely like her life depended on it. She had her brows knitted and tight frown lines creased her forehead. Blake signed exasperatedly seeing her like that. This was the reason why she fell sick. She works herself to the bone.
She was even working more than him. With each tap of a key, her frown deepened and her eyes narrowed.
Amy was startled when Blake suddenly grabbed her hand stopping her fingers from tapping the next key. She snapped her neck towards him, as she looked at him with a questioning gaze and an arched brow.
“Stop working” He told her.
“Huh?” She didn’t understand him. Didn’t they promise not to leave there until they had a reasonable and applicable solution, so why was he stopping her now?
Blake didn’t need someone to interpret what she meant by the look on her face.
“It’s late, and I’m sure the security guards were the only ones who are still in this )⁰building” He told her, making her to look at her watch.
“Oh” She gasped. “My brother is going to kill me” She closed her eyes and sighed. Lair was going to have her head for dinner and whatever part is left of her for breakfast. She could already imagine the livid look he’ll send her way the moment she gets into the house. It was going to be terrible for her tonight. A earful of scolding perhaps?
“Do they hurt?” Blake asked, redirecting Amy’s attention back to him.
“Huh?” She was confused. Nothing hurts.
“Your feet” He pointed his chin to her slight swollen feet. Amy rolled her seat backward and looked at her feet. Her eyes widened when she saw that they were indeed swollen. Another reason for Lair to chop off her head and ask her to resign from her job.
“Does it hurt?” Blake asked again with concern.
She shook her head and replied, “No” without looking at him. Her eyes were still examining her legs.
“Then why is it swollen?” He asked with light frown. He didn’t like the fact that her legs were swollen and he felt he was to be blamed for this. If only he hadn’t asked her to work with him, he didn’t even know why he had asked that, knowing she was still in the process of recovering.
Amy lifted her gaze to him, and that was when she noticed the frown on his face as he looked at her feet. “I guess it’s because I sat still for too long. I haven’t sat for long in a while now” She explained, as she closely observed his facial expression. He looked like he was angry? But was it at her leg?
“Should I give it a massage? Maybe I could help” He offered, he finally looked at her as he spoke.
“Huh?” Massage? He wanted to massage his feet?
Blake noticed the way her eyes widen in surprise. “It might help” He restated. He didn’t like the fact that her feet was swollen.
“No there’s no need for that. I can manage. It doesn’t hurt and I’m sure it’ll be back to normal when i walk” She assured him, with an awkward smile. The thought of Blake giving her feet massage made her heart thump nervously. She’d kill to have him touch her talk more of a massage, but she knew it wasn’t the way he thought about it.
To him it was a friendly gesture, but to her it would mean something else, and it would be difficult to control her emotions. She didn’t want to feel that hurt she felt when he rejected her again.
As much as she liked him, she knew it was time she tried to let go of her feelings for him, no matter how difficult it would be.
Blake was about to say something else when Amy spoke up first. “So what do you think? Can you neutralize it?” She asked in an attempt to change the subject of discussion from her swollen feet and any possibility of giving her a massage.
“I don’t think I can from my end” She sighed disappointedly. “Now I know why the others are having a hard time” She hissed frustratedly.
She had to admit this was her first time encountering such a problem. She had to give to the maleware creator, whoever it was, was unfortunately good.
Blake looked back to the screen and said, “It’s doable but it time is a factor”
His words made Amy sit up right, her eyes were lightened up. He was the first person he was saying something positive about it. All she’s heard since she resumed work today was how impossible it was to neutralize the virus, but now he was saying it ‘doable’. This was great news.
“So you can fix it?” she asked with excited eyes, and a smile threatening to break out on her face.
Seeing how she was looking at him with expectant and excited eyes, he couldn’t help but say, “Yes I can” and intentionally omitting the part that he might not be able to fix it before the masterminder do. Hillary might decide to fix the software at anytime, and no matter the effort he makes, he might not still be able to help his brother keep his seat.
His response got a happy yelp from her, as she jumped to her feet and did a happy dance. She was already feeling stressed and unhappy about it. Blake’s lips curved upward when saw her behave like that. He couldn’t help but gaze at her.
Amy abruptly stopped and looked at him, “We have to tell the big boss, I’m sure he’d be happy about it. I heard he’s be cranky since all this started” She hissed and smiled again. She was happy because she had heard people say that this might take their company shares plummet and fold up, if the issue wasn’t properly managed.
And now there was finally a solution about things.
Blake was about to reply her when her phone started to ring. She happily sauntered to the desk to pick it, and her smile broadened when she saw who was calling.
“Hello boo baby” She chipped excitedly.
immediately she picked up the phone.
She heard the person from the other side chuckle lightly. “You seem to be in a happy mode” The voice asked.
“Of course I am. i just heard the first good thing since the day began” She replied still smiling.
“Okay where are you? I want to give you something?”
“What? Something nice?” She asked with excited eyes. She was really happy at the moment and she was radiating it to all the things around her. Hours ago, after so many efforts to neutralize the virus to no avail, she was beginning to fear for the future of the company, but now she didn’t have to fear anymore. How she loved working at Acrosoft. She had thought about the worst case scenarios that may happen if the problem wasn’t resolved. But now, all those fears were gone….totally gone.
“Something I’d like you to get” He spoke in a secretive tone.
“Ethan Hills, stop playing with me. Tell me what it is first” She pressed. The mention of the name earned a reaction from the man sitting by her side. His brows narrowed when he heard that name. He didn’t even have to stress his brain to know who the name belonged to. It was that guy he had seen her with on two different occasions. Looking at the way she was smiling and happily talking with the man over the phone, he suddenly didn’t feel comfortable.
She just called him ‘boo baby’ right? Was she dating someone now?
He scoffed in his mind. Women were sure too deceptive. Just a month ago she had told him she liked him and now she was seeing someone else? How fleeting were her feelings? He huffed inwardly.
This was the reason why he’d rather stay single than have any entanglement with the female specie. Imagine if he had liked her and had started a relationship with her, she’d probably would have lost interest in him and would have broken up with him, leaving him broken hearted.
He should be grateful that was not the case.
“Are you home? I’ll come to you right now” Ethan said.
“Erm, I’m not home –”
“Then where are you?” Ethan cut in, asking her with a concern tone, as he looked at the time. It was quite late, so why wasn’t she at home?
“Well I’m at work” She replied, slightly lowering her voice, because just like Lair and Blake who had scolded earlier, she was sure Ethan would do the same. They were all treating her like a child. Scolding her up and down.
“At work? Amy Walker are you crazy?” The man asked in an angry and annoyed tone, just as she expected, making her roll her eyes.
“You’re sick so you should be home. How come you’re at work, and so late too? Does Lair know about this?” He asked, like a concerned mother hen.
“Ethan please stop nagging me, I’m with my boss” She lowered her voice as she turned to look at Blake.
“Then you better tell him to let you go. Cause I’m coming over right away to take you home” He ordered, making Amy roll her eyes again. She didn’t understand why all the men in her life are all worrywarts. They worry even more than women.
“There’s no need to come over. I’m sure Lair will be coming over to pick me soon” She scrunched her brows when she realized Lair hasn’t called her as well, and it was quite late even. That was unlike him.
And as if he had heard them talking about him, Amy received an incoming call from him. She looked at the screen and she saw, ‘my cupcake bro’ displaying on it.
She brought the phone to her ears again and hurriedly spoke up to Ethan, “Erm Ethan can we talk later, I have my bro on the line. Help me hang up”
“Okay, but tell him I’m picking you up. I’m on my way” He replied.
“Okay” Amy concurred, while Ethan dropped the call.
She immediately answered Lair’s call, her heart beating hard as she waited to receive the earth shattering scolding from him.
“I’m sorry, sorry, sorry” Amy apologized with her eyes shut tightly, as if he was right in front of her ready to give her a slap.
“Why are you sorry? I should be sorry. I forgot to come pick you up as promised, I got carried away by with some stuff” Lair apologized, making Amy open her eyes wide in surprise.
“Oh” She exclaimed in a low voice, sighing in relief. This was definitely his fault he should take responsibility for it.
“I’m still stucked somewhere. Do you think you can grab a cab home? I’ll be home shortly” Lair told her.
“Okay. Actually, Ethan offered to pick me up. I’ll just wait for him” She informed him.
“Okay. Don’t forget to eat dinner and take to your pills”
“Yes boss” She replied. She wanted to ask him if he’ll back before they have that conversation with their mother tonight, but she decided not to, since Blake was literally in the room.
“See you later missy” Lair said before ending the call.
She removed the phone from her ears and looked at the man who was looking at nothing in particular, with a slight frown on his face.
“Uhm” She cleared her throat to get his attention, which seemed not to be in the room with him.
Blake snapped his head towards her, he observed she was through with her call. He had drifted into another realm the moment her call with that Ethan guy ended. A plethora of thoughts were going through his mind and they all had to do with women and their fleeting emotions.
Should he ask her if she was dating that guy? But why should he ask her in the first place? She might just get the wrong idea if he does that. He was still thinking when he received a text from Jake, asking him to come home as soon as possible.
It had to be urgent, so he might leave this thinking for some other day.
He looked at Amy one last time and said, “Let’s go. We’ll talk about this tomorrow”
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 12
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